US EPA to approve ISK's Isofetamid fungicides

The U.S. EPA has recently proposed to approve ISK Biosciences Corporation’s technical Isofetamid fungicide, and two end-use formulations"Isofetamid 400 SC fungicide"and "Isofetamid turf fungicide."

Isofetamid is being proposed for foliar use on almonds; the small vine climbing fruit subgroup13-07F,except fuzzy kiwifruit; lettuce(head and leaf); the low growing berry subgroup 13-07G; the rapeseed subgroup 20A; and turf grass for golf courses(greens, tees, fairways),sod farms, college and professional sports field; and residential and commercial lawns. The Agency expects to establish tolerances to cover all the food uses. The proposed turf label is intended for use only by professional applicators (not intended for homeowner application).The maximum annual application rate is 3.65 lb a.i./A/year(turf).

Isofetamid is a broad-spectrum fungicide with preventative, systemic, and curative properties for foliar and soil-borne diseases. As proposed, it would be applied in scheduled protective programs and used in a spray rotation program with products with a different mode of action.

Isofetamid is a phenyl-oxo-ethyl thiophene amide and is a succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor(SDHI),which causes adverse effects on plant and fungi respiration. Other registered fungicides that also target this site include,but are not limited to, carboxin, fluopyram, sedaxane, and boscalid. Several fungicides may serve as alternatives for the crop sites and pest spectrum on the proposed isofetamid product labels. In consideration of the toxicological information on isofetamid compared to several registered alternatives, isofetamid presents a favorable human health and ecological hazard profile.